Uttarakhand inaugurates one of the largest botanical gardens in the state

Last year’s lockdown has made us crave for green spaces more than ever. So much so, there has never been a time in the last many decades that gardening has enjoyed a boom in popularity.

Now that our love of gardening and plants is here to stay, why not plan a trip to the newly-inaugurated botanical garden at Jeolikot in Nainital district of Uttarakhand to get plenty of gardening and nature inspiration?Uttarakhand has opened an expansive arboretum to showcase and spread knowledge about its floral diversity.

The nursery is home to more than 200 species of plants grown over an area of 3 acres. To make it informative, the authorities have hung placards on individual trees mentioning the qualities of the plant in a storytelling manner. All the relevant and useful information about every species’ medicinal, ecological, scientific and cultural qualities has been written in an engaging way.
For example, one of the placards reads, ‘My common name is Golden rain tree. I am native to Eastern Asia. My flowers are used to treat conjunctivitis and epihora, and also provide good nectar for the bees. I am also grown as an ornamental tree.’
Chief Conservator of Forests, Sanjiv Chaturvedi, told a leading daily that the objective behind using the narrative format to describe the qualities and nature of trees is to enable them to make an emotional connect with the visitors. In addition, the descriptive narrative will also enlighten them to save trees and conserve the environment.

The trees at the nursery feature names like Tejpat, Kaphal, Toon, Banj oak, Buransh, Padam, Timur, Chyura, Utis, Pangar, Malu, and Ghingharu. Other species are moss, cane, fern and lichen. The botanical garden is one of the largest arboretums in Uttarakhand.